Resumo

ORDAZ-TRINIDAD, N. et al. Cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of pepper extracts (Capsicum spp). Polibotánica [online]. 2018, n.46, pp.273-285. ISSN 1405-2768.  https://doi.org/10.18387/polibotanica.46.18.

In this work cytotoxicity and antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) were evaluated for the pepper extracts of jalapeño, serrano, guajillo, ancho and sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var. annuum.) and habanero (Capsicum chinense Jacq.), as well as for pure phenylpropanoids and flavonoids previously identified in the peppers. The concentration causing 50% toxicity in Vero cells was also determined (CC50). The antiviral potential of pepper extracts and pure compounds was expressed as the concentration required to achieve 50 % protection against cytopathic effects in Vero cells (IC50) infected with HSV-1. The selective index was calculated as the ratio of the CC50 to IC50. The sweet pepper extract showed the lowest cytotoxicity (CC50 = 9.82 ± 0.06 mg/mL) and the highest antiviral activity (IC50 = 0.56 ± 0.02 mg/mL), with the highest selective index of 17.5. High antiviral capacities were also observed for ancho and guajillo. The habanero pepper extract presented the highest cytotoxicity and the lowest selective index. Phenolic compounds also showed antiviral activity and are probably responsible for the antiviral properties of pepper extracts.

Palavras-chave : Capsicum spp; cytotoxicity; antiviral activity; phenolic compounds.

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